Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-03-01
HE GOT DRUNK.
WHY THE PANHANDLE WAS LEFT
HITCHRD TO WEST VIRGINIA
Instead Of Beng Made Part Of Pennsylvania
Correspondent Of Boston Paper
Talks About Whesling's
Prosperity.

In a recent issue of the Boston, Mass. f,
Commercial Bulletin, correspondent in
speaking of the Panhandle, and Wheeling
in particular, in very complimentary terms
gives the cultured bean eaters some
idea of what kind of people We are down
here. He says:
Why that part of West Virginia known
as the Pan Handle was not originally
made part of Pennsylvania Is probably
one of the things that will never be known.
Tradi ion has it that it was the intention
of the powers that then were to have the
southern boundary of Pennsylvania eN-
tended TO the Ohio river, but that the sur
yeyor got drunk ut the point which now
marks the southwestern corner Of the
State and on recovering from his spree dr-
bitrarily turned mis- instrument northward
and did not stop till he struck Lake Erie.
| But whatever the reason for the blunder,
it was a gross one, and dearly does the
Pan Handle have to pay for it, for in the
counties that compose it are located all
the acquired wealth, the manufacturing
industries and enterprise of the war-born
State of West Virginia. And they have to pay
the taxes, which are much higher than il
the Panhandle belonged to either Ohio or
Pennsylvania.
Still, Wheeling is prosperous. The iron
and steel mills are all booming, and new
ones are being built. The great nail strike
| is at an end; no floods in winter or
droughts in summer have visited her since
| "a, and she is therefore resuming her
wonted vigor The ii nail concerns in the
Wheeling district are all at work on steel
nails, ,and, as in Pittsburg, the day OF iron
nails seems to have gone by.
The Riverside Iron Works, the largest
concern here, has all it's mills in operation,
aud in addition is erecting tube works at
BenwoOd for the manufacture of lap and
but-welded pipe and boiler tubes. This
will bring again into continuous use the
furnaces that have been idle since they be-
gan to make steel.
The Wheeling Steel Co., is a new con-
Germ that has been running its works,
which are located at Benwood, for several
months.
The Norway Tack Company until re-
Gently has been firm. composed OF MeSsrs.
]. II. Jones and II. II. Head, of Sandwich,
Mass, and T. w. Phinney, son of Maj. S.
B. Phinney, of the Barnstable Mass, }
Patriot. 1t is now corporation, retaining
the old name Mr.. Phinney retires, the
other members of the old firm are stock
holders, and long the new men may he
mentioned w. II. Head, Geo. q. Hannah,
G. l.. Davis and J. j. Jones. The latter is
the cashier of the Exchange bank, which
does the largest banking business
in Wheeling. The concern makes
tacks, brads and small nails.
The establishment OF this concern here
by Eastern men calls to mind another
Weeeling c0ncern-the La Belle Iron
Works, established early in the COS by
the well known firm of Bailey, Woodward
q Co, aud is still running but under
another manag cement. Mr.. Woodward is
dead, but the senior member VIZ. William
Bailey is still living. He was MasSa-
chusetts boy and learned the nail making
business in Maiden, Mass Later he went
to Pittsburg, and thence to Wheeling,
where Yankee Shrewdness secured coal
and iron mines; they made their
own iron; made their own nail machines,
ana tnell maze lalIS Swing u pTOnt from
the digging of the coal TO the selling of the
finished nail. OF course they became
wealthy, and iudicious Investments in real
estate and bank stock made them more 80.
In 1874 Mr.. Bailey retired from the firm,
returned TO his old Massachusetts home,
built him house in Melr0se-which when
he left was part of Mathematical n
young wife, and still lives, hale and
hearty, in peace and plenty, at the al
yanced age of eightysiX.
Natural gas was introduced into Wheel
ing from Washington county, Pa. through
40 miles of pipe, last September, and has
been introduced into every mill in the dis
trict, and into many dwellings. The sup
ply-or rather the scrvice-is not equal TO
the demand, and other lines of pipes will
be laid this season. This is another reason
for Wheeling present prosperity.
This city is the centre for large neigh
boring wool trade, and the wool is of
very superior quality. liorkheimer Bros
are among the largest dealers in this dis
trict.
Hides, skins and feathers are also han
died here in considerable quantities. Furs
and ginseng are also dealt in.